


Top Soo

by orphan_account



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Crack, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 16:03:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2031249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where Do Kyungsoo gets kidnapped by a bunch of cheerleaders. - Kyungsoo/Jongin</p>
            </blockquote>





	Top Soo

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I am a little bit angry and disappointed in myself for writing this - I wanted to start something different but it came out as this. I think I've become way to comfortable in writing fluff and crack. So I'm very, very thankful to pororoporn and hearteulips for beta-ing and making this a whole lot better! Without them this fic would've been an eyesore.

**Title:**  Top Soo

  
**Summary:**  Where Do Kyungsoo gets kidnapped by a bunch of cheerleaders. - Kyungsoo/Jongin  
  
 **Pairing:**  Kaisoo  
  
 **Genre:**  Fluff, Crack, Humor  
  
 **Rating:**  PG-13 for innuendos

 

("Sir, we need you to top our pyramid")

-

He scratches his boot on the ledge of the door at the local pet store. It's a minuscule one, he checks, and ultimately decides to pay it no heed. The boy at the counter around his age greets him a jovial hello _,_ and Kyungsoo responds with a nod.  
  
He cranks his neck towards his usual aisle, scanning the contents of the low shelf. He then scratches his head. "Shoot," Kyungsoo mumbles. They're all out of Alpo.  
  
"Oh! Kyungsoo-ssi!" The boy yells from the register. "I forgot, we're all out of Alpo."  
  
"Yeah, I noticed." Kyungsoo frowns. "Anything good here for a spaniel?"  
  
"We have Merrick. Sixty-thousand won for a sack. Last one on the bottom shelf."

It’s a little expensive for his budget, and he debates whether to take the whole sack or just buy a kilo of the kibbles. In the end Kyungsoo turns to the bottom section and makes a grab at the lone white sack with a happy golden retriever plastered on the front. He struggles a bit in carrying the ten kilo dog food to the register, but he succeeds after a few minutes of frustrated grunting, catching the boy snickering before taking his debit card.

The boy tips his cap after asking Kyungsoo to sign the receipts. “Have a nice day, Kyungsoo-ssi.”

The smaller boy nods imperceptibly, vehemently grimacing at the big sack he has to shoulder all the way to the bus stop. In three steps he grapples it with his hands and heads outside, taking care not to wedge his boot again on the ledge.  
  
The bus stop is about five blocks away so Kyungsoo heaves in that direction, looking like a severely harassed delivery boy of rice. Sweat starts breaking out on his pale forehead.

A tingling sensation prickles the hairs on his nape, which he only gets when he feels he’s being watched. Kyungsoo clambers toward the bus stop.

“Oh my god, he’s perfect!” He hears someone mumble too close behind him. “Just look at how tiny he is!”

Kyungsoo bristles at the comment –  _who the hell are you calling tiny? –_ but he doesn’t turn his head. He walks even faster.

“Height, check. He probably weighs less, check. Considerable arm strength, check,” a guy behind him fusses in delight. Kyungsoo hears two pairs of footsteps. His hands get clammy from nervousness and the burden on his shoulders. He thinks he can handle taking down one pervert, but  _two_? Kyungsoo frantically flicks options in his mind, collecting all the moves he’s grown to acquire from all those young years of watching MMA fights; choke holds, punches on strategic areas, arm twists.

This has happened before. A leering man standing beside him at the bus once mounted his hungry fingers towards his… sexuality, and Kyungsoo struck a baby pin from his school nametag, making the older guy retreat. Kyungsoo couldn’t sleep for three days straight after that ordeal.

_What do I do?_

“Sir? Sir?”

Kyungsoo pretends not to hear them.

“Sir? Sir! Sir!”

And Kyungsoo stops dead on his tracks when two boys run to stand in front of him.  One was slightly taller than him and the other towered over him like a skyscraper, but both had their hands up like check-point enforcers.

“Oh, wait,” the slighter one intones. His hair is dyed a dusty brown and slicked up with a mountain of gel. “Doesn’t he go to our school?”

The other one clucks his tongue. “Really? I don’t exactly recognize him…”

But Kyungsoo recognizes them instantly; they do go to his school. Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol. Resident troublemakers – the only difference with the other delinquents is that their grades are way up there in the top fifty.

He wonders what these two are up to. “Um…” Kyungsoo begins, cocking an eyebrow. His shoulder is starting to complain under the weight.

“Hello,” Baekhyun greats in an almost pleading manner. “We have a situation, and we really need your help.”

“Yes, yes!” Chanyeol nods enthusiastically.

“We’re cheerleaders, and the annual cheerleading competition is on Saturday – “

“You guys are cheerleaders?”

Baekhyun shrugs. “It’s better than doing drugs. Or getting into jail. Chanyeol here almost got thrown into juvie for crashing his car on the neighbor’s house.”

“Court said I should get a hobby,” Chanyeol supplies.

Baekhyun’s eyes then flash like he just remembered something. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. We’re a little flustered. God, where are our manners? Anyways, I’m Baekhyun, Byun Baekhyun. And this is Park Chanyeol.” He points to the person beside him.

Kyungsoo strains his other arm to meet their handshakes. “Uhh, yeah. I actually know you two. We go from the same school. Do Kyungsoo.”

Baekhyun swats Chanyeol at the back of his head. “Told you he looks familiar!”

“This is a coincidence!” Chanyeol beams. “So you’re also from Ahn Kyo High? Wow! This makes our job so much easier!”

This is news to Kyungsoo, discovering that these two are cheerleaders. Given that Kyungsoo never really paid attention to trifling matters such as pep and school spirit, he should know at least that the all-boys school he goes to has a cheerleading team.

He also realizes that they look ridiculous right now – two boys cornering a guy carrying a large sack of dog food in the middle of the sidewalk – so he quickly says, “Umm, I’m sorry. I think I won’t be of much help. I can’t really dance –”

“Oh, it’s fine! You just need to top our pyramid!”

“… what?”

“You know, a formation? Cheerleading position? Girls – guys – piling on one another making a pyramid that’d rival the ones in Giza?”

What the hell are they saying? Kyungsoo can feel a trail of sweat sliding down his back. This is getting unbearable by the minute. “I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can do that – “

“We’ll carry your sack!” Baekhyun yelps. “We’ll help you! Chanyeol here has a car. We can drive you all the way home.”

“I’m going to take the bus – “

“Please, Kyungsoo-ssi!” Chanyeol kneels—grovels—in front of him, much to Kyungsoo’s utter horror. “Please, please,  _please_! You’re really the only one we’ve got! We’re so desperate to find anyone to replace one of ours that we’d grab anyone who looks fit for the job, and we can’t believe how lucky we are that you go to our school too. Please reconsider!”

“Let us carry your sack, Kyungsoo-ssi!”

The offer of being relieved from his burden wafts over him like a strong aroma of newly baked apple pie—or was that coming from the bakery beside them? Coupled with the combined forces of Baekhyun’s and Chanyeol’s puppy eyes (both strangely bore resemblance with his own pet), Kyungsoo knows he has no choice. Or rather, his buckling knees have no choice.

Besides, he’s just going to top a pyramid, right? No actual dancing required. And he’s not scared of heights.

Kyungsoo gives in as Chanyeol blissfully takes the sack of dog food with ease.

-

There’s a tall, well-built guy eating sherbet and leaning on a smoky-grey car when the trio arrive.

“Jongin! Jongin!” Chanyeol calls, waving enthusiastically at the person. “We’ve found our man! Look, he’s perfect!”

Kyungsoo visibly reddens at his choice of words, and surreptitiously studies the smiling person named Jongin.

He feels small as he stares at the bronze skin, the tousled hair, the athletic figure, the dark eyes. Why is he surrounded by good-looking people?

 Jongin grins, throwing the now empty plastic cup of sherbet inside the garbage can near him. He takes out a hand and Kyungsoo shakes it.

“Do Kyungsoo, right? Our class stands behind yours during assemblies. I’m a year lower.” Jongin says bashfully.

Kyungsoo feels a pleasant swishing in his stomach. He knows him?

“Kim Jongin. Class 2-D,” Baekhyun introduces as he unlocks the door to the passenger seat. He gets inside and whistles. “Kyungsoo-ssi, you can seat with Jongin at the back. Chanyeol-ah, where the hell are you? Drive, drive!”

“There’s too much stuff here in the trunk!” He yells from the back. “Why do we have so many coolers?”

“Just stuff the sack in the back seat! There’s still some space! You wouldn’t mind, right, Kyungsoo-ssi? See?  He doesn’t mind! Get in here or I’ll drive and leave you!”

Chanyeol slams the trunk door shut, placing the Merrick inside the back seat beside Jongin. He runs towards the driver seat and switches the ignition. “You don’t even have a license,” he denounces Baekhyun.

“Tsk! It’s just a flimsy piece of plastic. And we have loads of work to do.” Baekhyun glances at the mirror. “Are you alright, Kyungsoo-ssi?”

“Uhh, yes.”

Baekhyun clasps his hands together. “Great, great! We’re definitely going to win back that first place trophy from the Southwood Tigers or we’ll all die!”

Kyungsoo gulps at the back seat. He whispers to Jongin, “He doesn’t really mean that, does he?”

Jongin smirks. “Baekhyun hyung’s also the head of the drama club.”

“Oh.”

The drive all the way to the school gymnasium is stiff and silent, or at least in the back seat. Chanyeol and Baekhyun refuse to shut up about everything, their topics shooting in different directions and rapidly changing from one thing to another. Kyungsoo gives up on listening to them within the first five minutes. He doesn’t have his trusty music player with him since he left at home on his study table, so he just settles with staring at his jeans, or at the windshields, or at Jongin’s sneakers.

He then feels Jongin fidget beside him. “So, um, Merrick?” the younger boy gauchely starts, glancing at the sack near Kyungsoo’s feet.

 “They were all out of Alpo.”

“Oh. I like Alpo. It’s cheaper.”

Kyungsoo nods. “I bought it for sixty-thousand,” he tells him timidly. “I hope it would last for more than a month. You own a dog?”

“Yeah.” Jongin seems proud of the fact. “I actually have three at home.”

“Three?”

“Mhmm.”

“How do you take care of them? That’s a lot. To me, I mean.”

“Just give them lots of love.” Jongin’s lips form a lopsided grin, the tips of his mouth curving in a sort of teasing way, like he’s enjoying talking about his furry babies.

Kyungsoo can’t help but smile too. “Right. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“We should take our dogs out sometime. Maybe on Sundays near the Han River. I walk them there every week – if you’re not busy, of course.”

“Sure. I’d like that. Seossi’d definitely like that too.”

“Seossi?”

“That’s my dog’s name. Cocker spaniel.”

“Oh. Okay.” Jongin flutters in his seat. “After we win regionals, then.”

“Yeah, sure. That’d be great.”

They glance at each other at the same time, and Kyungsoo unconsciously copies the broad grin forming on Jongin’s face.

Chanyeol starts singing a poor rendition of  _Who Let The Dogs Out_  behind the steering wheel.

-

They arrive at the gym soon after, and Baekhyun instantly bombards Kyungsoo with rules, game plans, and reasons why he was hauled there in the first place (Kim Minseok, the one who’s supposed to top the pyramid, broke his leg in the middle of preparations for the competition. Unfortunately, each team member has a job to do during the final formation that no one can fill in Minseok’s spot, so here he is).

“We’ve asked around, but no one really wants to top,” Baekhyun tells him. “Either they’re too heavy or too scared for ten measly meters above ground.”

Kyungsoo gulps.  _Ten meters?_  “Oh. That’s too bad.”

“But we have you now!” Baekhyun hooks his arm around Kyungsoo’s neck in a chokehold. “You just saved our asses, man. And we’re about the same age, right? Can I call you Kyungsoo, then?”

“Y-yeah. Of course.”

Baekhyun laughs. “You don’t talk much, do you? I guess I can’t pair you up with Tao. He’d probably bug you to death… Hey, Jongin!”

 Jongin stops his rigorous stretching from across the bleachers and turns to their direction. A sheen of sweat covers his sleeveless arms. “Yeah?”

“Take care of Kyungsoo, will you? Tell him the specifics. Hold him by the ankles when  _Run_  starts, you and Sehun, and you’re going to be the one on stand-by in case he falls – not that you’d fall, Kyungsoo, it’s just procedure,” he assures him. “When Minseok was here Luhan was his spotter.”

“Okay!” Jongin calls back.

Baekhyun then points to the bleachers on his right. “You can sit there while we practice – we’ll just tell you when it’s your part. We’ll assemble the mats so don’t worry about getting in an accident. You’ll be fine, okay?”

The way Baekhyun says everything with nonchalance doesn’t really ease Kyungsoo’s nerves, but he sits on the bleachers obediently and watches them as they start their routine.

It’s easy to see from this distance who’s the best dancer. Jongin stands front and center, along with a Chinese boy Kyungsoo recognizes as Zhang Yixing. Jongin’s movements are both fluid and sharp with an engaging facial expression that Kyungsoo can’t help but feel impressed. Baekhyun poses as Queen Bee; not because he stands out among the group, but because he’s the most talkative, most demanding, and most efficient in giving out orders.  _President and spokesperson_ , Kyungsoo concludes.

Kyungsoo seesaws his feet as he waits.

“Kyungsoo-ssi!” a tenor shouts and thunders all over the small gym, and he sees Kim Jongin flicking his hand back and forth, beckoning him. Kyungsoo wonders if Jongin does that all the time to everyone, smiling like a charming goof. “Time to top,” Jongin jokes.

Fisting his hands together so that the others wouldn’t see them tremble, Kyungsoo slowly gets up from his seat and slogs his way towards the center. A fast-paced song shakes the speakers, the members getting ready for the big finale.

Kyungsoo dryly thinks that he looks like a pinkie against a ring finger, standing next to Jongin. “When you hear the  _‘ahhhh-yaah!’_ , I’m going to lift you over here. Try not to lock your knees,” the tan-skinned boy instructs. “You’ll lose your balance and fall ten meters from the air.”

Thanks for the warning. “Yeah. Don’t lock knees. Got it.”

“But don’t worry. If you fall, I’ll be right behind you,” Jongin’s voice rings with certainty. “I promise I’ll catch you.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo squeaks.

“Relax, Kyungsoo-ssi.”

“I am.”

“Your hands are shaking.”

Kyungsoo puts his hands behind his back. Jongin’s raises his eyebrows and purses his lips, damming a laugh.

The song ends and another one starts. Kyungsoo’s eyes focus on the other members scurrying to get into their positions, dancing along with the beat.

A pair of strong arms suddenly grasps him by the waist, the action so unanticipated that Kyungsoo yelps in shock, and he’s precipitously being passed around by Jongin and Sehun with much care, his ankles supported by the two and his hands held by two other skinny boys named Luhan and Jongdae. Kyungsoo stares at the ceiling, not wanting to look down to his shiny, newly-waxed demise.

“Put your other foot on Jongdae’s thigh!” Baekhyun tells him, his hands cupping his mouth.

Kyungsoo gingerly places his foot as instructed, muttering an apology at Sehun’s tormented expression as he struggles to balance himself on the pyramid.

“Yes, yes! That’s it, Kyungsoo! Now spread out your arms and form a ‘V’!”

“What?”

“A ‘V’! Haven’t you watched a competition before? All the cheerleaders do it!”

 _I’m not a cheerleader!_  Kyungsoo barks mentally, but does as he’s asked. Very, very excruciatingly, he retracts his hand from Luhan’s grip and removes the other on Jongdae’s shoulder. The pyramid wobbles as Kyungsoo lifts up his arms.

“Now, hold that position for five seconds!”

Kyungsoo can’t take it anymore. “Are you crazy?!” he roars back.

Sehun, Chanyeol and Jongin guffaw under his feet, and Jongdae chuckles beside him, his whole body quaking.

Baekhyun doesn’t seem fazed at all at his outburst. He grins even wider. “Steady yourself, Kyungsoo, or the pyramid would topple!”

Kyungsoo swears colorfully in his head, cursing Seossi and that awfully heavy sack of dog food for getting him into this mess.

 “Alright, now put him down!”

It feels like he’s been holding his breath for more than five seconds. Kyungsoo lets them grab his limbs and gently pull him back to solid ground, the ten meters dwindling to nine, five, three, one –

Jongin grabs him again by the waist and sets him down, and Kyungsoo drops to the floor as graceful as a dancing iguana.

Jongin offers a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “That wasn’t so bad, was it? Let’s try it again so that you can get on top faster.”

Kyungsoo wants to cry.

-

The practice lasts way too long for a person who just went out to get dog food. Kyungsoo’s mom left worried messages on his phone, and when he finally gets a break to answer her phone calls, his ear gets red for being on the receiving end of his mother’s yapping.

“What time would you be home, then?” his mother finally yields, her voice resigned. She’s not angry anymore, just relieved that her son is alright.

“I guess I’ll be a little late. But I’ll be home in time for dinner. I’m really sorry I forgot to ask permission. I got caught up,” Kyungsoo mumbles, looking down at his feet.

“It’s done. Just come back home safely, okay?”

“Yes, Mom.”

The conversation ends and Kyungsoo pockets his phone, sighing. He’ll probably get an earful from his father when he comes home from work and hears about this. He’s surprised when someone clears his throat next to him, and his cheeks redden when he realizes it’s Jongin, and that he seems to have heard the whole exchange.

“You can go home now, Kyungsoo-ssi,” Jongin tells him with a smile. “I’ll go tell them that your mom called and that you have to leave early.”

“But I – “

“It’s fine,” he says, urging him to get up. “Really. I think we’ve asked too much of you already.”

Kyungsoo averts his gaze. “I – uh, thank you.”

“No problem! And you’re the one who saved us from forfeiting, so don’t mention it. Sorry for troubling you.” Jongin gesticulates. “See you tomorrow?” It’s a question.

“Yeah. I’ll be there.”

They exchange grins, Jongin’s a happy one and Kyungsoo’s a wry one, and the latter steps down from the bleachers and exits the same way he entered.

 _He probably thinks I’m a momma’s boy_ , Kyungsoo mulls silently, embarrassed.

-

He’s at the bus when he grasps that he’s forgotten something again.

“Shit!” The elderly beside him throws him dirty looks.

Kyungsoo hides his head under his sleeve, feeling like he’s dying.

-

They’re having dinner when the doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it,” Kyungsoo announces, pushing his chair back, and makes his way to the door. They don’t have one of those high-tech monitor thingies, so when Kyungsoo opens the door and sees him with the sack of Merrick on the doorstep, his eyes widen.

“Delivery for Mr. Do?” Jongin grins.

“I, uh – um – Jongin-ssi –” Kyungsoo clucks like a duckling. He sees Chanyeol’s car parked in front, and when Kyungsoo thought there wouldn’t be a thing in the world that would embarrass him more than Jongin hoisting him by the waist and hearing him talk with his mom, he’s wrong.

Jongin chuckles good-naturedly. “Chanyeol said you forgot this.” He gestures to the sack. “They’re still back at the gym practicing the important choreo… Yeah. Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo finally breathes out.

“It’s okay. It’s what fellow dog lovers are for, right?” It’s another question.

“Yeah. Dog lovers… I – I really can’t thank you enough. I’m sorry for making you drive all the way here –”

Jongin holds up his hand. “It’s fine, I promise. You didn’t burden anyone. But say, no one has your number in our team. Can I get yours so we can contact you? We need to get in touch for practice. Also for emergencies.”

And by emergencies he means Kyungsoo spacing out again and forgetting the dog food in someone else’s car. He recites his phone number to him, and Jongin dutifully jots down the number.

Jongin rams his phone inside his back pocket. “Thanks, Kyung –”

“Kyungsoo, dear? Who’s at the door? Is that a boy you’re talking to?”

His mother always has impeccable timing, Kyungsoo swears to the heavens.

“Well, looks like I have to go,” Jongin says, grinning. He walks away from the front porch while facing Kyungsoo, waving goodbye.

He nods. “Yeah. See you, Jongin-ssi.”

He waits for Jongin to drive away until Kyungsoo can only see a dot in the street before trudging the big sack inside. Seossi starts barking somewhere in the kitchen.

Then it dawns on him. How in the world did Jongin knew where he lives?

“I’m really forgetting a lot of things today,” Kyungsoo sighs again, shaking his head. It’s probably a question for tomorrow.

-

When Kyungsoo says that he’s hanging back after class, Junmyeon’s spoon freezes midway to his mouth.

“Did you get detention?” Junmyeon asks uncertainly.

He shakes his head and redirects the spoon again to Junmyeon’s mouth. “I owe some people a favor.” Especially one person in particular. “I have to do some… stuff.”

They eat their lunches silently for a long time.

“Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you getting bullied?”

He stops chewing on his apple. “What the – where did that come from?”

 “I’m just asking,” Junmyeon answers. He finishes his cream soup without any leftovers and moves on to his sandwich. He takes off the crusts of the bread then eats. “Graduation’s only a few months away,” he says with half of his mouth full. “And the teachers are loading us with more school work. It’s not exactly the first time lazy bullies threaten some poor kid into doing their share of grit. And you’re smart and puny.”

“Puny?” Kyungsoo grumbles. Why does everyone make jabs at his height?

Junmyeon smiles, unashamed. They’ve been friends for too long now to warrant the usual tact. “Meaning you’re the perfect target. So if you are, just tell me. I’ll help you.” Kyungsoo exhales tiredly. “No, Junmyeon, I’m not getting bullied. Just helping others out.”

“Volunteer work?”

“Uh, sort of.”

“That’s good, then,” Junmyeon agrees. “It’s never too late to get more credentials for uni. But you should’ve done that volunteer thing a long time ago, in my opinion.”

 Kyungsoo only nods, half-agreeing and half-not.

-

“Ahhhhh-yahh!”

This is the eighty-third time Jongin held him by the waist, and the twenty-fifth time he told him that the younger would catch him if he drops (not that Kyungsoo was counting). Luckily, Kyungsoo managed to hold back his clumsiness for five days and the pyramid didn’t come crumbling down, so there wasn’t much action. Most of the remaining hours of school were spent with Kyungsoo staring at the cheerleaders as they execute their routine as flawlessly as possible.

They’re at the closing. At the corner of his eye he sees Tao do fifteen tumbles across the floor before striking the final pose. Kyungsoo holds his hand up into a ‘V’, notably less gawky than the first time he’d done it.

“And we’re done!” The coach claps his hands, and they all cheer. “Good job, everyone!”

It’s the last day of practice. Kyungsoo breathes a sigh of relief, though he can’t ignore the tingle of nerves in his arm. Win or lose, he knows he won’t be directly affected by whatever happens tomorrow. He just tops the pyramid, anyway. Accessory, not entirely essential.

But he’d be sad, of course, if they lose.

Jongin sets him down (the number goes up to eighty-four in Kyungsoo’s invisible tally).

“You did great, hyung!” Jongin high-fives him.

He started calling Kyungsoo ‘ _hyung’_  somewhere in the middle of practicing for the regionals. Kyungsoo doesn’t know exactly when it became the norm, but a sense of camaraderie somehow formed whenever they exchanged water bottles during breaks, shared random stories about their dogs, and talked about which universities Kyungsoo aims to attend after high school. It also probably stemmed from letting someone hold you by the ankles and ensuring that you won’t fall off for five seconds every day, but Kyungsoo doesn’t want to think about that part too much.

Much to his surprise, he finds himself under a swarm of enfolded arms. They all huddle together into a congratulatory hug, warm and surprisingly not suffocating. Kyungsoo likes it a little.

“We are one!” Yixing shouts, and all of them scream the same mantra at the top of their lungs. Kyungsoo laughs along with them and follows their lead.

-

He receives a text from Jongin while he’s getting ready for bed.

_Good luck to us both for tomorrow. Fighting! Sleep well, hyung ~_

Kyungsoo stays up until three am, unable to close his eyes.

-

Jongin restrains his hand from flying to his face. “Stop scratching it, hyung. The paint’s already chipping.”

Deny it as they may, Kyungsoo knows he’s the ugliest one in the group. Even after being covered by costume make up all over one side of his face to hide the dark shadows from his lack of sleep, Kyungsoo feels uglier than before. He wants to complain that it’s itchy and hot and he thinks it’d look even sillier if he kept on scraping his skin off in the middle of the last formation, but he decides to keep it to himself.

Jongin cranes his neck to get a good look on the performers . “We’re next, we’re next! Just hold it in for a few more minutes, okay? You’re at the top so it’s necessary that the mascot is painted on your cheek. It actually looks good on you, hyung. Anyway, don’t you think Magna Rong’s routine’s a little too fast? I think they’ve used up only three min – “

“Jongin?”

“Yeah?”

“Relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, pursing his lips to point at Jongin’s trembling hand over his. “Your hands are shaking.”

Jongin slowly grins. He makes a show of hiding his hands behind his back like a shy girl, and they both laugh.

The coach and Baekhyun then scurry them at the back, ordering them to form a single file. A few seconds later, Kyungsoo hears the name of their team booming from the large speakers all over the gymnasium, and the coach hands him the school flag is in his hands. It’s a satin blue cloth with a golden eagle embroidered in the middle. He grips on it like a buoy.

They run to the center. The glare of the lights blind him as his eyes adjust to the sudden change in scenery, but the loud cheers of his schoolmates and the sound of Junmyeon laughing and hollering at the front seat –  _“You sneaky punk! You didn’t tell me this is where you’ve been volunteering”_  – ring loud in his ears, guiding him to where wants to be.

Jongin holds him by the waist. Kyungsoo flies.

-

“Your dog is sniffing my dog’s ass.”

They lean on the rails overlooking Han River, with Seossi's and Monggu's leash on Kyungsoo's hand, Jjanggu's and Jjanga’s on Jongin's. Four dogs and two owners don't stand out among the flittering joggers, bikers and dating couples under the milky Sunday sky. It's hard to believe that only just a week ago, he'd been literally agonizing under the weight of Seossi's breakfast and had no idea that his school had a squad of their own, and now he's eating chocolate sherbet and walking his dog with Jongin, the second youngest member of the cheerleading team. Life can be a stand-up comedy when it wants to be.  
  
"Yah! Jjanggu!" Jongin disentangles his dog as it sniffs on Seossi's butt, but then Jjangu turns his attention elsewhere and leaps on Kyungsoo's legs, his snout landing on Kyungsoo's crotch.  
  
"Umm," Kyungsoo chuckles quietly.  
  
Jongin also laughs, his ears turning pink. He tugs on the blue leash harder. "Bad boy, Jjanggu. You're not getting any kibbles later – ah, ah, ah! I mean it."  
  
Jjanggu straddles Kyungsoo's thighs for a few more seconds and then whines, reclining to his toes, slugging his tummy on the ground.  
  
"How's Baekhyun holding up?"  
  
Jongin turns to look at the river, and Kyungsoo fleetingly admires the younger boy's strong jaw line. "Still smashed. Chanyeol's stuck with the task of comforting him that second place and five hundred thousand won aren't so bad."  
  
"It's still a shame, though," Kyungsoo replies. "I think the judges noticed that I didn't do any dancing at all and just waved the flag and pranced around and topped the pyramid. Earned you guys some demerits. You could've won first place."  
  
" _We_ ," Jongin stresses, beaming. "And you don't know that. You might as well have pulled us up. You were pretty eye-catching yesterday."  
  
Kyungsoo inclines his head to look at him, turning to see if Jongin means it. He does.

"You know." Kyungsoo is tongue-tied, unsure of where to begin. "When we first met, Chanyeol and the others didn't know my name, and they're in my year. I know I'm not exactly popular..."  
  
The corners of Jongin's lips lift up, as if he finds the whole thing funny.  
  
"You said you see me every day during school assemblies but you also knew where I live," he continues. "I don't know. It's just – are you friends with Junmyeon too? I think he's the only one who knows. Besides you of course. But..." He doesn't know where he's getting at, so he stops there.  
  
Kyungsoo sees Jongin biting his bottom lip, controlling a grin. "Do you really want to know, hyung?" he inquires.  
  
His tone doesn't match the heaviness of his question, and Kyungsoo fights the strange bubbling in his stomach. "Yeah," he answers a little breathlessly. "Tell me."  
  
"Hyung, you look like you're about to faint."  
  
"I'm okay."  
  
Jongin laughs out loud, not holding back anymore.

"If only you can see your face," he smirks. "I'm not a stalker, in case you were wondering. But I'll tell you someday."  
  
"What? Why not now?"

"I want to be friends with you first."  
  
Kyungsoo's taken aback. They're walking around the Han River with four dogs tied to their hands, fattening themselves with frozen dessert – it's the strongest proof of friendship Kyungsoo can ever think of. He never even went out with Junmyeon like this. "We're friends. Or at least, I consider you as my friend."  
  
Jongin's face breaks into a grin. "Really?”

"Yes, really. Now will you tell me?"  
  
"Someday, hyung. I promise."  
  
Disappointment darkens Kyungsoo's face. "You like promising me stuff," he grumbles.  
  
"But I never went back on my word, have I?"  
  
"That's because I didn't fall," Kyungsoo shoots back.  
  
Jongin shrugs nonchalantly. "You never know. Maybe someday you will. My promise still holds though. I'll catch you if you do."  
  
"But I'm graduating. I don't think I'd be joining the team anytime soon."  
  
He chuckles. "I wasn't talking about cheerleading. Anyway, just be my best hyung and I'll tell you. You can wait until then, right?"   
  
Jongin smiles sheepishly at him, the sunlight illuminating his face in a very nice way, accentuating the ridges on his nose and the spaces between his eyelashes.

Kyungsoo thinks that, since last week, he'd probably forgotten how to say no.  
  
  



End file.
